The Queen’s Choice

Joan of Navarre governs Brittany after the death of her first husband when Henry IV of England offers marriage. Accepting requires her to surrender authority, leave several of her children in France and enter a court where the Lancastrian dynasty remains vulnerable to rebellion.

As queen, Joan attempts to preserve her Breton family interests while building a relationship with Henry and his English heirs. After Henry’s death, suspicion under Henry V culminates in her imprisonment on accusations of witchcraft. The novel examines queenship as a negotiation between marriage, motherhood, property and political survival.